Charisma 100: My Academy Life As A Heartbreaking Commoner-Chapter 229: The Duel 2

{Darius}

Darius waited on his own, trying to relive all of his recent training in his mind.

"Here it is," his mother said, walking up and handing him something that looked like a green pill. "According to the alchemist, it should make you stronger without being detected. Give her hell out there."

Just like that, she walked off.

Darius stared down at the pill-like item. The Winter Trials flashed through his mind.

He brought the pill closer.

Then, he stopped.

[... Really?] Darius paused. [Are you so unconfident that you can’t beat her even when she isn’t using her daggers?]

He sighed. Again, the Winter Trials came back to mind. How defeated he’d felt in the end.

But...

Winning like this...

Would this be victory?

Before he could change his mind, he threw the pill away.

[No.] He stood up. [I don’t need that. If I can’t beat her with my own skills, then, fuck it. I don’t deserve the win.]

---

{Aegis}

The preparation room was small but comfortable. A bench, a table with water and towels, a window overlooking the mountains in the distance.

Aegis stood at that window now, staring at one peak in particular. It was taller than the others, with a cap of snow at the top that hadn’t melted yet despite the summer heat. She fixed her eyes on it and let her mind go blank.

This was a trick she’d learned back in the hospital. Back when she was Emily, dying slowly in a bed that smelled like antiseptic. The hours had stretched forever in that place, especially at night, when there was nothing to do but wait for the next round of medication or the next visit from a nurse.

So she’d learned to make time move faster.

Find a spot. Any spot. A crack in the ceiling, a stain on the wall, the corner where two tiles met. Stare at it. Don’t think about anything. Don’t let your mind wander to the pain or the fear or the knowledge that you probably wouldn’t see another Christmas. Just stare at the spot and let everything else fade away.

It worked surprisingly well. Minutes became seconds. Hours became minutes. The worst nights became bearable.

She hadn’t needed the trick in a while. This new life was too busy, too full of things demanding her attention. But right now, with fifteen minutes to kill and nothing productive to do with them, it felt appropriate.

A knock at the door pulled her out of the trance.

"Come in," Aegis said, shaking her head.

The door opened, and Liora stepped inside. Aegis hadn’t seen her earlier. She was dressed nicely, in a soft blue dress that brought out her eyes, but her expression was worried. She closed the door behind her and stood there for a moment, hands clasped in front of her.

"Hey," Aegis said.

"Hey, yourself." Liora took a few steps closer. "How are you feeling?"

Aegis smiled.

"Good. I’m as ready as I’m going to be."

"Huh, I can see that... You don’t look nervous at all." She inspected Aegis’s body like she was gonna find nervousness on her like a stain.

"I’m a little nervous. But mostly I’m just..." She searched for the right word. "Calm, I guess. Whatever happens, happens. I’ve done everything I can to prepare. The rest is out of my hands."

Liora nodded slowly, but the worry didn’t leave her face.

"I talked to Talia earlier," she said. "Before you arrived."

"Yeah? How’s she holding up?"

"She’s terrified." Liora’s voice was quiet. "She’s trying not to show it, but I can tell. There’s so much weighing on her right now. The duel, her mother, the future of her House. If you lose today..."

"I won’t."

"But if you do—"

"I won’t." Aegis turned away from the window and walked over to Liora, taking her hands. "Hey. Look at me."

Liora looked up.

"Talia has nothing to worry about," Aegis said. "I’m going to win this duel. At some point I’ll marry her. And then we’re all going to figure out the rest together. Okay?"

"You sound so sure."

"I am sure." Aegis squeezed her hands. "I didn’t come this far to lose now. Not when I’m this close."

Liora took a shaky breath and nodded.

"Okay. Okay, I believe you."

"Good." Aegis leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Now go back to your seat. I’ll see you after I win."

Liora managed a small smile.

"You’d better." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

She left, closing the door softly behind her.

Aegis turned back to the window. The mountain was still there, still indifferent, still covered in snow.

[Alright. Let’s do this.]

A bell rang, deep and resonant, echoing through the arena.

Aegis stepped out of the preparation room and walked down a short corridor that opened onto the sand. The sunlight hit her face, and she squinted against it for a moment before her eyes adjusted.

The crowd had gotten louder in the last fifteen minutes. She could hear them now, a low roar of conversation and anticipation that washed over her like a wave. Thousands of people, all here to watch two talented young nobles hit each other with swords.

[When you put it that way, it sounds kind of anti-climactic, huh.]

She walked to the center of the arena, her boots sinking slightly into the sand with each step. From the other side, Darius was doing the same. They met in the middle, maybe ten feet apart, and stopped.

The official in grey robes stepped forward, flanked by two figures Aegis didn’t recognize. One was a woman in white, the other a man in green. Mages of some kind, probably. Neutral arbiters.

"Before we begin," the official announced, his voice magically amplified to reach the entire arena, "both combatants will be examined for prohibited substances."

The woman in white approached Aegis first. She raised her hands, and Aegis felt a tingling sensation wash over her body, like static electricity crawling across her skin. The mage’s eyes glowed faintly as she worked, scanning for any trace of potion effects.

After a few seconds, she stepped back and nodded to the official.

"Lady Starcaller is clear."

The man in green performed the same examination on Darius. Another few seconds. Another nod.

"Lord Goldspire is clear."

The official gestured, and two attendants approached carrying identical swords. Simple weapons, well-made but unenchanted. No special properties, no hidden advantages. Just steel.

Aegis took hers and tested the weight. It was a bit heavier than what she’d been training with, but not by much. She gave it a few experimental swings, getting a feel for the balance.

Across from her, Darius was doing the same.

Their eyes met.

Neither of them said anything. There was nothing left to say. They both knew why they were here. They both knew what was at stake. Words would just be noise at this point.

Aegis shifted into her stance, sword raised, weight balanced on the balls of her feet. Darius mirrored her, his own blade coming up, his expression focused.

The official raised his hand.

"Combatants ready!"

The crowd fell silent. The world narrowed down to just the two of them, standing in the sand, waiting.

The official’s hand dropped.

"Begin!"